Report on Blue Brain

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A Seminar Report On BLUE BRAIN Submitted by Kumari Neha Reg no: 0901209044 Semester: 6 th In partial fulfillment for the award of the degree Of BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY IN COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING 1

Transcript of Report on Blue Brain

Page 1: Report on Blue Brain

A Seminar Report

On

BLUE BRAIN

Submitted by

Kumari NehaReg no: 0901209044

Semester: 6th

In partial fulfillment for the award of the degree

Of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

INCOMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

SILICON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

MARCH – 2012

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ABSTRACT

Human brain is the most valuable creation of God. The man is called intelligent because of the

brain. But we lose the knowledge of a brain when the body is destroyed after the death of man.

That knowledge might have been used for the development of the human society. What happen if

we create a brain and up load the contents of natural brain into it. “Blue Brain” –The name of the

world’s first virtual brain. That means a machine   that can function as human brain. Today

scientists are in research to create an artificial brain that can think, response, take decision, and

keep anything in memory. The main aim is to upload human brain into machine. So that man can

think, take decision without any effort. After the death of the body, the virtual brain will act as

the man .So, even after the death of a person we will not loose the knowledge, intelligence,

personalities, feelings and memories of that man that can be used for the development of the

human society. Question may arise “Is it really possible to create a human brain?” The answer is

“Yes, IBM is now in research to create a virtual brain”. It is called “Blue brain “.If possible, this

would be the first virtual brain of the world. 

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my deepest sense of gratitude and indebtedness to my guide and seminar in charge,

Er. B.A.Begum and Er.Shivani Nanda for their valuable guidance, keen and sustained interest,

intuitive ideas and persistent endeavor.

I am indebted to Er. B.B.Mishra, HOD, Computer Science Department for an opportunity to

learn and present the seminar.

I would like to thank my friends for their innovative suggestions, help and patient support.

I am also thankful to my classmates and other faculty members for extending their maximum

support and help in completion of this seminar report.

If not for the above mentioned people, my seminar would never have been completed

successfully. I once again extend my sincere thanks to all of them.

Kumari Neha

CSEA –A/Roll No: 03

Regd.No. 0901209044

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Table of CONTENTS

Sl. No. Contents Page No

1. Introduction 6

2. What is Virtual Brain 7

3. Why we need Virtual Brain 8

4. Functioning of Brain 9

4.1Brain simulation 10

5. Uploading Human Brain 12

6. Hardware and Software requirement 13

7. How the Blue Brain project will work 14

7.1 Flashes of activity 15

8. Blue Brain: An artificial Brain comes to life 16

8.1 Objective of the project 17

9. Blue Brain model visualization 20

10. Advantages and disadvantages 21

11. Conclusion 22

12. References 23

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No: Page No

Figure: 1 computer’s brain as human brain 07

Figure: 2 model of a human brain 09

Figure: 3 human brain uploading in a computer 13

Figure: 4 how human brain gets connected with computer to upload the

Data of the human brain into computer 15

Figure: 5 The "Blue Brain" supercomputer in Lausanne, Switzerland 16

Figure: 6 (right) Pipettes are placed near a rat brain sample for an

Experiment in lab of the Blue Brain

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Figure: 7 (left) cables are connected in order to design a blue brain 19

Figure: 8 representation of a mammalian neocortical column 20

Figure: 9 Human Brain in form of computer 22

INTRODUCTION5

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“Blue Brain” the name of the world’s first virtual brain. That means a machine that can

function as a Human Brain. Today scientists are in research to create an artificial Brain that can

think, respond, take decisions and keep anything in memory.

The main aim is to upload a human brain into the machine so that a man can think and take

decision without any effort. No one has ever understood the complexity of human brain. It is

more complex than any circuitry in the world. So the question may arise “Is it really possible to

create a human brain? “ The answer is “Yes” . Because whatever man has created today always

it has followed the nature. When the man does not have the device called computer, it was a big

question for all. But today it is possible due to the technology. Technology is growing faster than

everything. IBM is now in a research to create a virtual brain which is called the Blue Brain and

if possible it would be the first virtual brain of the world.

On 1 July 2005, the Brain Mind Institute (BMI ) and IBM launched the Blue Brain Project.

The aims of this ambitious initiative are to simulate the brains of mammals with a high levels of

biological accuracy and, ultimately, to study the steps involved in the emergence of biological

intelligence. By the development of this technology within few years we will be able to scan

ourselves into the computer.

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WHAT IS VIRTUAL BRAIN

The virtual Brain is simply an artificial brain which can do as whatever a human brain can do

with much more accuracy and speed. it can :

Think

Respond

Take decision

Keep things in memory

Function as a memory

Figure:1 computer’s brain as human brain .

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WHY WE NEED VIRTUAL BRAIN

After the death of the person we lose the knowledge, experience and intelligence

of the person but by using this technology after the death of the man the virtual

brain will act as a man and hence we can use the knowledge and intelligence of the

person for the development of the human society even after his death.

Although science "knows a lot of details about the brain, we do not know how the

parts fit together and how they are related to thought and learning and perception

But today technology is growing faster than ever and certainly it can be possible

by the development of Blue Brain . Today we need virtual brain:

To upload contents of the natural brain into it.

To keep the intelligence, knowledge and skill of any person for

ever.

To remember things without any effort.

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FUNCTIONING OF BRAIN

Figure:2 model of a human brain.

As we know that human brain is the most complicated part of the body no one has ever

understood the complexity of the human brain it is the most complex circuitry in the world .

The human brain has 100 billions, nerve cells that enable us to adapt quickly to an immense

array of stimuli. The neocortex is the largest and most complex part of the human brain, and

constitutes about 85 per cent of the brain's total mass. The neocortex is thought to be

responsible for the cognitive functions of language, learning, memory and complex thought.

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The main functions of human brain depends on :

Sensory Input

Receiving input such as sound, image, etc through sensory cell .

Interpretation.

Interpretation of the received input by the brain by defining states of

Neurons in the brain.

Motor Output.

Receiving of electric responses from the brain to perform any action .

BRAIN SIMULATION

NATURAL BRAIN

Input

Through the natural neurons.

Interpretation

By a set of bits in the set of register

output

Through the natural neurons.

Processing

Through arithmetic and logical calculations

Memory

Through permanent states of neurons

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SIMULATED BRAIN

Input

Through the silicon chip or artificial neurons.

Interpretation

By different states of the neurons in the brain.

Output

Through the silicon chip .

Processing

Through arithmetic and logical calculation and artificial intelligence.

Memory

Through Secondary memory

Now the difference between the functions of the virtual brain and human brain

is clear so there is no question how the virtual brain will work. But the question

is how the human brain will be up loaded into it and it is the most important

part of this blue brain because without this everything will be useless and we

can’t able to make a virtual brain which can do whatever a man can do . But

today this is also possible due to the fast growing technology.

UPLOADING HUMAN BRAIN

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Toughest part of this technology is to upload a human brain into the computer so that we

could be able to use that data whenever and wherever is possible.

The uploading is possible by the use of small robots known as the nanobots.

These robots are small enough to travel throughout our circulatory system.

Traveling into the spine and brain, they will be able to monitor the activity and

structure of our central nervous system.

They will be able to provide an interface with computer that is as close as our mind

can be while we still reside in our biological form.

Nanobots could also carefully scan the structure of our brain, providing a complete

readout of the connection.

This information, when entered into a computer, could then continue to function as us.

Thus the data stored in the entire brain will be uploaded into the computer.

The main aim of blue brain is to build an software replica or template which could

reveal many existing aspects of the brain circuits, memory capacity , and how

memories are lost .

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIRMENT

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A Super computer.

Memory with a very large storing capacity.

Processor with a very high processing power.

A very wide network.

A program to convert the electric impulses from the brain to input signal, which is to be

received by the computer and vice versa.

Very powerful Nanobots to act as the interface between the natural brain and the

computer.

The Blue Brain has some 8,000 processors which map one or two simulated brain

neurons to each processor, making the computer a replica of 10,000 neurons.

Figure:3 human brain uploading in a computer.

HOW THE BLUE BRAIN PROJECT WILL WORK

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The project will search for insights into how human beings think and remember. The brain

circuitry is in a complex state of flux, the brain rewiring itself every moment of its existence. If

the scientists can crack open the secret of how and why the brain does it, the knowledge could

lead to new breed of supercomputers.

Blue brain is a technology that uses “Blue Gene” a supercomputer capable of processing

228 TFLOPS.

"Blue Brain" offer a better understanding of human consciousness.

It’s an actual ‘computer brain’ that may eventually have the ability to think for itself.

When it was first fed electrical impulses, strange patterns began to appear with lightning-

like flashes produced by ‘cells’ that the scientists recognized from living human and

animal processes. "It happened entirely on its own,"

This helped the scientists to understand the actual processing of the brain which arised

the concept of “Blue brain”.

Blue brain acts as a computer that would operate at inconceivable speeds – something

fast enough to simulate the human brain.

A Blue brain aims to unlock the secrets of brain by using the brute power of a

supercomputer.

Flashes of activity

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Figure:4 how human brain gets connected with computer to upload the data of

the human brain into computer.

Blue Brain started producing flashes of activity that scientists recognized from

measurements of natural brain behavior -- on its very first day. "It happened entirely on

its own“. This helped the scientists to understand the actual processing of the brain

which raised the concept of “Blue brain”.

'Blue Brain': An Artificial Brain Comes To Life In Switzerland

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The machine is beautiful as it wakes up – it means it works in a fine way when started.

Nerve cells flicker on the screen , along with that electrical charges are produced.

This piece of hardware consists of about 10,000 computer chips that act like real nerve

cells.

It runs on one of the world's most powerful supercomputers.

The goal is to build a much bigger electronic thinking machine -- one that would

ultimately replicate the human brain .

"Blue Brain," is the most radical attempt so far to investigate the mystery of

consciousness.

Figure:5 The "Blue Brain" supercomputer in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Objective of the project :

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The first objective of Blue Brain is to build an accurate software replica, or template, of an

NCC (neocortical columns) within two to three years. That first template will be modified

for NCCs found in different brain regions and species, and then all the NCCs will be

replicated to build a model of the neocortical of different species. 

Such models will shed light on how memories are stored and retrieved, "This could reveal

many exciting aspects of the [brain] circuits, such as the form of memories, memory

capacity and how memories are lost." The modeling can help find vulnerabilities in the

neocortex, which is useful because that's where brain disorders often originate. "We may

also be able to work out the best way to compensate and repair circuit errors,". "The model

could be used to develop and test treatment strategies for neurological and psychiatric

diseases," such as autism, schizophrenia and depression. 

Having an accurate computer-based model of the brain would mean that some major

Experiments could be done in silicon rather than in a "wet" lab. A simulation that might take

Seconds on the supercomputer could replace a full day's worth of lab research. Ultimately,

Simulated results of brain activity could be matched with recorded brain activity in a person

with a disease in order to "reverse-engineer" the circuit changes in diseases.

The real value of a simulation is that researchers can have access to data for every single

neuron.

Taking measurements from a dozen neurons that have been sliced from rat brains and

mounted on a chip. The research will examine the physical structure and the electrical

properties of each neuron and how neurons affect one another. A model of multiple NCCs is

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still far from a model of the whole brain. "Once we have modelled the neocortex, we will

have to include models of other brain regions, such as the basal ganglia, hippocampus, and

cerebellum and so on.

The Blue Gene supercomputer was installed in July, and the first simulations were run in

August, with a simulation of 25,000 simple neurons that took just 60 seconds. "This was just

not possible before, and even smaller networks of 1,000 neurons would take weeks to run on

a cluster, so this is truly a quantum leap in size and speed. Future simulations of 10,000

complex neurons will take much longer. 

Blue Gene is an 8,096-processor supercomputer, and it will model one to 10 neurons per

processor. The computer could allow simulations of as many as 100 million simple neurons,

which is about half the number of neurons in a rat brain. A PFLOPS Blue Gene, which IBM

says is several years away, would make it possible to simulate nearly a billion simple

neurons. "But improvements in processing speed and memory could mean the entire human

brain could be simulated within a decade . 

"The scale of this computing will reveal interesting things in biology. We need that scale to

get at the complexity that biological systems have. And the trickle-down effect from Blue

Brain to other computing projects in science and industry will be enormous. 

For example, ASIC designs that emulate neuron network behaviour might be developed for

use in information processing in intelligent devices. And, more generally. Blue Brain will

teach lessons about real-time data processing, as opposed to off-line processing. 

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Figure:6 (right) Pipettes are placed near a rat brain sample for an experiment

in a lab of the Blue Brain.

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Figure:7(left)cables are connected in order to design a blue brain.

BLUE BRAIN MODEL VISUALISATION

Figure:8 representation of a mammalian neocortical column.

A visual representation of a mammalian neocortical column.

The basic building block of the cortex.

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The representation shows the part of the brain which has been modeled using a

supercomputer.

The visualization is part of an ambitious project to create a biologically accurate,

functional model of the brain using IBM's Blue Gene supercomputer.

ADVANTAGES

It acts as a supercomputer.

Improvements in processing speed and memory could make entire human brain

simulated.

Things could be remembered without any effort.

Use the intelligence of the person after death.

It can make decisions entirely of its own.

Allowing the deaf to hear via direct nerve stimulation.

DISADVANTAGES

We become dependent upon the computers.

Another fear is found with respect to human cloning.

A very costly procedure of regaining the memory back.

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CONCLUSION

Will be able to transfer ourselves into the computer at some point.

Eventually aim of applying terrific computer power to the simulation of an entire brain.

Very soon this technology will be highly accepted whole over the world

The goal of the Blue Brain Project is to reconstruct the brain piece by piece and build a

virtual brain in a supercomputer

Figure:9 Human Brain in form of computer.

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REFERENCES

1. Henry Markram,“The Blue Brain Project”, 3 0 t h A n n u a l International Conference

of the IEEE, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, February 2006 .

2. “Simulated brain closer to thought BBC News” 22 April 2009.

3. “Project Milestones”, BlueBrain.http: //bluebrain.epfl.ch/Jahia/site /bluebrain/

opedit/pid/19085.

4. “Blue Gene”: http://www.research.ibm.com/bluegene.

5 . The Blue Brain Project: http://blue brainproject.epfl.ch27.

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Slides

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